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New 3612 Miter Gauge

02-09-2003, 01:51 PM

I thought I had this figured out but.....

Trying to find out why my miter gauge hangs up on the front of the saw, and it also makes marks on the table top. I filed the bottom front edge as was suggested, but it still hangs up and now I have scratch marks. I put a washer between the runner and the cross piece, but this isn't working too well either.

Any suggestions? Do I have a defective one? Shouldn't the cross arm ride above the saw table?

Just checked mine. The bar is exactly 3/8", and the slot just a tad deeper so that when the cross piece meets the table it easily runs over the front edge without any hangup. Then of course the gauge itself is running on the table with the bar acting only as a guide. The gauge has been machined underneath to provide for this smooth edge contact and for riding on the table.

Could your table slot be more than a "tad" deeper than the bar? Is the bar exactly 3/8"? You filed the front edge of the gauge, is this causing the scratch marks?

Comment

The miter gauge must ride on the table surface to work correctly. If it didn't this would cause to problems. First it means the fence face will rock causing a slight angle change when mitering. Second, this would the bar would stick up slightly above the table surface, making it impossible for your stock to lay flat. Yes the miter gauge will leave streaks on the table surface over time, but it is necessary to the proper function of the gauge.

Comment

I had the same problems and concerns with my mitre gauge. After removing the gauge from the bar I lightly sanded the bottom by putting a new sheet of fine paper face up on the saw table and carefully dressed it. I followed up with several coats of wax. It still marks a little but does not cause me to grit my teeth any more. If yours is hanging up you might try the same technique with the gauge angled up a little to chamfer the front edge without causing any untrueness in the base. I am surprised that the cast aliminum scratches the cast iron so easily. I have some anti-chafe tape used on aircraft control surfaces that I have considered putting on the bottom. You just have to be sure it lays and stays flat.

Comment

Solution Photos, I hope this will help you all. It is what I did to stop the fence from catching the table top when starting behind the top.

These two areas were the ones hanging up on mine, as I'm sure they are yours.

I filed these two lacations on both sides slightly to stop the hang up.

Looking at the fence at the plane the table top would see, you can see how I filed the leading edge so it don't catch. This leaves the the rest of the machined area to ride on the table to keep it from wobbling as Jake mentioned. Mine does not wobble.

A close up so you can see my file marks and exaclty where I filed to stop the "catch" and not cause wobble. (never mind the debrie on it)

This Miter gauge is used on my band saw, so it always starts off the table, so before the modification, it was a real pain to deal with the hang up.